Chapter 440-Inviting Him Over

Verity:

It took my brain a second to register that the voice hadn’t come from anywhere in the room.

It had come from inside me.

"My wolf?" I whispered, still clutching the lamp. "Wait, is that you?"

I slowly returned it to the table, desperate to ask more questions but afraid that pushing too hard might scare her away.

"You do realize you’re playing this all wrong, don’t you?"

My wolf’s voice was strong and steady.

"Wait, you’re awake?" I asked, my heart beginning to pound harder. "You’re not going to fall asleep again, are you?"

"Well, apparently, someone has to stay awake now that your senses are failing you and your emotions are taking over. Those ridiculous feelings of yours are making you forget that you’re not supposed to feel anything for these men."

The judgment in her voice made me bite my bottom lip as I tried to compose myself.

"That’s not true. I don’t feel anything for them. I’m just doing my part of the plan," I protested, refusing to acknowledge how strangely Ragnar had begun to make me feel.

"Well, I certainly hope that’s the case. Either way, I’m here now, and I’ll make sure you don’t stray from our mission," she hissed.

Then she released a deep breath, sounding almost exhausted, as though speaking those few sentences had already drained her energy.

"You know, Ragnar is very clever. You still haven’t figured out that man isn’t capable of feeling genuine warmth or affection for anyone."

Her words left me somewhat confused.

Part of me wanted to tell her that I already knew that, but another part wasn’t so sure anymore.

"What do you mean?" I couldn’t help asking.

"Be extremely careful with Ragnar. Watch every move he makes and every action he takes. You have no idea what kind of game he’s playing with us."

She paused before continuing.

"Anyway, this little trick of yours has succeeded in one respect. There used to be a boundary between you two, but you’ve already grown much closer. It won’t be long before that boundary is crossed."

For some reason, instead of feeling pleased by her words, I was overcome by a strange sadness.

Because suddenly, it hit me.

All this time, I’d only been playing a game.

Even with Ragnar.

"By the way, you can call me Art," she introduced herself, making me smile.

"Hello, Art. It’s nice to meet you," I greeted her warmly.

The rest of the night was rather uneventful. In fact, the same could be said for the remainder of our trip.

Over the next two days, we were so busy that we barely had a moment to spend together from morning until night.

One thing I did notice, though, was that Ragnar hadn’t spent much time with Brenda either.

He had assigned Brenda and me to the same team, while he accompanied her father and the royal beta.

We managed to observe those strange shadows, and I even took a few photographs.

To be honest, the whole thing was rather unsettling.

Something about that place felt off, especially the way those shadows seemed to take the shapes of people, which should have been practically impossible.

On the second evening, Ragnar and the people accompanying him on his walk also took photographs and gathered whatever evidence they could find.

Our schedules were so different that by the time he returned, I would already be asleep.

And whenever I woke up, he was usually the one sleeping.

Despite Brenda’s repeated insistence, Ragnar refused to extend the trip.

Meanwhile, I knew Gigi had been pestering him with nonstop phone calls.

Every time, she seemed to have something new she wanted to discuss with him.

As for me, I spent most of my free time getting acquainted with my wolf.

And finally, the trip came to an end. Everyone prepared to leave, and it was time for us to begin our journey back.

Which meant Ragnar and I were about to find ourselves alone in the car once again.

The driver had already loaded all our luggage into the car.

Brenda and the others came to bid us goodbye, and Brenda made it very clear that she intended to attend Gigi and Ragnar’s engagement.

I had no idea what she was hoping to achieve because, even now, she was gazing at Ragnar with those same dreamy eyes.

I didn’t bother looking at him again, although I knew he was dressed entirely in black.

He simply said his goodbyes and climbed into the car. A moment later, I followed him inside.

I had barely begun closing the door when Ragnar let out a low groan.

"Do you always have to be so clingy?" he questioned.

I turned toward him, only then realizing what he was implying.

"I like sitting in the corner. It’s not like I’m deliberately trying to cling to something or someone," I retorted, looking away.

"Have you decided which of my brothers you’re going to choose?"

The question caught me off guard, especially since he hadn’t brought up the subject once throughout the trip after asking me about it the first time.

"I’m not sure," I mumbled, biting my bottom lip without turning to face him.

And the truth was, I genuinely had no idea.

Ragnar had left me utterly confused, and ever since Art had awakened, she’d been constantly reminding me to be careful.

"Well, I guess I should thank you for being there for me that night, especially since you didn’t ask any questions or bring it up again."

Honestly, I hadn’t expected that kind of consideration from Ragnar.

I turned toward him, only to discover that he had already averted his gaze.

So I faced the window again, and neither of us spoke for the rest of the journey.

By the time we approached my neighborhood, a crazy storm had broken out.

The rain was coming down in torrents, and the wind had picked up considerably.

I had no idea what possessed me, but I suddenly found myself turning toward Ragnar again.

"The weather’s pretty bad, isn’t it? It’s even starting to hail," I remarked.

He had been resting his head against the seat, but upon hearing me, he turned his face toward mine.

"I was just thinking... if you want, you could come inside and wait at my place until the storm passes. I could make you some coffee," I offered hesitantly.